Meatballs on Bed of Roasted Tomatoes from Vicki Delany

I love little more than a nice tomato-y pasta dish, and I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy it.  These meatballs are delicious, nice and herby, and the roasted tomatoes are a nice accompaniment. 

I served the meatballs over pasta, but they would also be nice with potatoes, or even on their own with a lovely salad.

Meatballs on Bed of Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 large egg

1 cup panko

½ cup finely chopped parsley

½ cup finely chopped basil

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 lb. ground beef

4 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

300 ml jar of roasted red peppers, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil - divided

½ red onion

Preparation:

Mix egg, panko, herbs,  salt, garlic, pepper, and 3 Tbsp. water in a large bowl. Add beef and combine. Form into balls.

Place tomatoes in a medium bowl; add red peppers. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, season with salt and black pepper, and toss to coat.

Place chopped onion on a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp oil. Season with salt and black pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer; roast on top rack until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add tomato mixture and roast until tomatoes soften, 10–12 minutes.

Add meatballs to the vegetables. Bake until meatballs are cooked through about 15 minutes.

If you like a slightly runnier sauce, you can crush some of the tomatoes with a fork.

If serving over pasta, add some of the water from pasta cooking pot to loosen sauce further.

 

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